Cabinet



s; F. PRATT ETAL' Dec. 31, 1940. K

CABINET Filed Dec. 8, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l #uffi Syvum/MMS .3.1Seeyvdpr 'WM/m 1h31, 1940.; SEPRATT ETA; 2,226,670

CABINET Filed Dec. 8, v195e '2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Dec. 3l, 1940PATENT OFFICE k CABINET Seely F. Pratt and Harvey H. Yawman, Le Roy,

N. Y., assignors to Union Steel Chest Corporation, Le Roy, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application December 8, 1938, Serial No. 244,705

3 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to cabinets and moreparticularly to a sheet metal drawer cabinet for general utilitypurposes and adapted tc a wide variety of domestic, oiilce and factory 6uses, and the invention has for its primary object the provision ofcertain novel features involving the construction, arrangement andcorrelation of parts with certain advantageous results includingminimization of the number of parts so as to 10 facilitate theirassembly and the promotion of maximum strength and durability at aminimum cost.

The invention is, in the main, directed to a type of cabinet capable ofeffective manufacture in 15 small two-drawer units, with provision fortheir ready and effective connection in any desired multple in stacks,in which the number of units may, of course, vary in accordance with thedemands of use. It is' not, however, to be understood as limited 20 tosuch unit manufacture, since many of the structural features readilyadapt the invention to use in connection with cabinets of larger sizeand greater drawer capacity as the practical requirements of use maydictate.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointedout in the claims hereto ap- 30 pended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportions and minor details of construction,within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departingfrom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

35 In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the various features ofthe present invention and form a part of this specification,

Figure l is a top plan view of the blank of the body of the case asinitially formed.

40 Figure 2 is a perspective view thereof showing the blank with itsinitially upset flanges.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the blank of one of the internal wall bracesof the case.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of these 45 internal wall bracesbent to its final form.

Figure 5is a perspective view showing the upset blank of Figure 2 bentalong transverse lines to form the case body.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the rear wall.

50 Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing one ofthe front corner joints of the case body.

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view through one of the front cornerjoints of the case as nally 55 formed.

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the completecabinet in a plane slightly above the upper drawer.

Figure 10 is a transverse vertical sectional view therethrough. 5

Figure 11 is a vertical longitudinal section taken therethrough.

Figure 12 is a\detail section through a portion of one of the drawers,taken on line I2--I2 of Figure 11.

Figure 13 is afragmentary perspective view of a lo portion of one of thedrawers, on an enlarged scale showing the division plate holding means.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the complete cabinet with the drawerspartially withdrawn. 15

Figure 15 is a top plan view of the blank of one of the drawers.

Referring now to these figures and, in the first instance, to Figure 14,the rectangular case of the improved cabinet, as generally indicated atI6, is shown as including a top I1, a bottom I8, side walls I9 and 20and a rear wall 2|, the latter of which is better seen in Figure -9,together forming an open front through which the drawers 22 and 23 areslidabl'e into and out of the case. 25

According to the-present invention, the top, bottom and side walls ofthe case, constituting the body thereof, are formed as integral parts ofa blank, plainly shown as it is initially cut out in Figure l, withcut-out longitudinal side edges generally mapping out in the blankrectangular sections I'l, I8, I9, and 20B, respectively corresponding tothe top Il, bottom I8 and side walls I9 and 20 of the completed body.

As shown in Figure 2, the blank is upset along its two longitudinaledges and one end so that there is formed along what may be defined asthe rear edge of the blank an upstanding flange 24, the opposite ends ofwhich are beveled as at 25, and the intermediate portions of which are40 provided with V-shaped notches 26 between the several sectionsthereof, resulting in edges beveled like the end edges 25, so that, whenthe blank is bent along transverse .lines between its several sectionsto form the case body as shown in Figure 5, these beveled edges willcome into edgewise abutting relation at the corners of the rear end ofthebody. Thus at the rear end of the body there is completed asurrounding inturned flange with plain mitered abutting joints at thecorners. to facilitate reception of the rear wall 2l, which in thisinstance is a plain flat rectangular section of the metal adapted to beplaced against the inner surface of the rear flange of the case body, to

which its edge portions may be securely fastened at spaced pointstherearo'und as by means of soot welding.

The upset blank shown in Figure 2 is also provided at one end with anupstanding end flange 21, which, when the blank is bent between itssections to form .the case body shown` in Figure 5, may overlap theadjacent free edge of the bottom wall I8, to which it may be securelyfastened as by means of spot welding.

The upset blank of `Figure 2 is, in addition to the foregoing, providedwith a rightangular upwardly and inwardly deflected flange 28 along itsforward edge, this flange being cut away at its ends and at pointsbetween the several sections of the blank to provide the inturnedportion of the flange with rightangular abutting edges 29 and theupstandng portion of the ange with overlapping portions 30 andunderlapping portions 3|, the several underlapping portions 3|beingoifset inwardly a distance corresponding to the thickness of themetal, so that, when the body of the case is bent to ultimate form asshown in Figure 5. the flange 28 as a whole will constitute a boxed ribsurrounding the open front of the case, with the cut-away edge portions29 thereof in meeting or abutting relation and the cut-away edgeportions 39 and 3| in overlapping relation, in which the edge portions30, corresponding in contour to the offset area of the portions 3|, willprecisely interfit and seat within such offsets so as to completeoverlapping joints at the front corners of the bex, which are at thesame time ush or even with the adjacent surfaces of the cabinet front.The overlapping of these parts 3 and 3| provide for secure connection ofthe corner joints at the Afront of the case by means of spot welding oftheoverlapped portions.

The cabinet case as thus-formed is reinforced by internal verticallydisposed side braces, and each of these braces, one of which is seen indetail in Figure 4, consists of a single rectangular sheet of metal cutout according to the blank of Figure 3, the upright side edges of thisblank 3|a being subsequently bent to form an angular ange 33 at one edgeand an L-shaped flange 34 at its opposite edge.

Each wall brace plate 32 is placed' in upright position along and spacedfrom the inner surface of one of the side Walls I9 and 2D of the cabinetcase, with its flanged side edge 33 extending forwardly within the frontflange 28 or hollow rib of the cabinet body, so that the inturnedportion of the body flange 28 will be effectively reinforced, theoutwardly projecting fiange 33 extending into edgewise contact with theside wall, as plainly seen in Figure 7.

The two wall braces 32 are, of course, reversible for the foregoingpurpose, and each thereof extends along its respective side Wall of thecabinet for a portion of the depth of the cabinet only, and with itsrear flange 34 lying atwise against the inner surface of the cabinetside wall so as to provide for a spot-welded or other desirableconnection between this flange and the side wall.

Between the forward and rear flange portions 33 and 34 thereof, eachsidewall brace is out away vertically to provide for upper and lower.inturned flanges 35 and the intermediate inwardly upset flanges 36, thelatter being centrally between the upper and lower flanges 35 so thatthese several flanges define between them drawer receivingspaces, theflanges themselves constituting drawer guides.

The drawers 22 and 23 are each preferably formed from a blank 31 asshown in Figure 15, cut out with extending side and end portions which,when bent upwardly at right angles to the body portion, constitute thefront wall 38 of the drawer, its rear wall 39 and its side walls 40 and4|,

of which the front wall 38 preferably has a centrally located portionoutwardly o'set along a curved line to form an integral drawer pull orhandle 42.

Preferably also, the sidewalls 40 and 4| have at their opposite endsextending flanges 43 which, in the finished form of the drawer. aredisposed angularly to overlap portions of the sides of the front andrear walls 3B and 39,. the latter being formed with conformable indentedportions 44 offset a distance equal to the thickness of the metal sothat angular aps 43 just above mentioned may enter the conformabledepressionsv of the'front and rear walls 38 and 39,l and in this way notonly provide for a better connection of the walls of thev drawers byspot welding or otherwise connecting the flaps 43 in their overlappedpositions, but create a drawer, the front wall of which presents anattractive appearance-with a generally flush even front surface.

Each drawer is also preferably provided in its front wall 38 below itsdrawer pull 42 with a series of struck-up lips 45 located at lthe fourcorners of a rectangular area for the convenient engagement of thecorners of a card, so as to hold the card atwise against the front wallof the drawer for various purposes in identifying 'the contents of theparticular drawer.

Each drawer is furthermore provided at equidistantly spaced pointsalong-its several walls with inwardly offset vertical ribs 4B arrangedin parallel relation in pairs, and a single horizontal inwardly offsetrib 41 above each pair of vertical ribs. This arrangement provides fordetachable engagement with the upright walls of the drawers of the endsof division plates 48, the ends of the plates being received between the.upright parallel ribs 48, below and confined against verticaldisplacement by the horizontal ribs 41. These division plates are of thewell-known type having interengaging slitted portions where they crossone another, and they may or may not be used in either of the drawers orused in only one drawer as use may dictate, the provision made for theirreception affording a considerable range in their location and in theresulting compartments within the drawers formed thereby.

In order that the units may be utilized in multiple in stacks, the topand bottom I8 of the case are provided with similarly depressed circularareas at 49, at spaced points which are in truevertical alignment sothat the top I1 has a. series of depressions and the bottom I8 has aseries of depending bosses or feet in vertical alignment withdepressions 49 to thus enter the top depressions of the next lowermostunit of a stack. Preferably, the bases of the depressed areas 49 areprovided with central apertures 5| to receive through the interseatedbosses and depressions short connecting bolts, if it is desired torapidly unite the several units of a stack of units.

What is claimed is:

1'. A drawer cabinet including top, bottom and side walls and having anopen front, said cabinet being formed of sheet material and-having theforward edges of the top, bottom and side walls turned inwardly andrearwardly to provide a substantially continuous rearwardly extendagange spaced from said top, bottom and side walls and extending aroundthe open front of the cabinet,

and a pair of combined top and side wall braces and drawer guide membersconsisting of bracing walls within the cabinet at opposite sides thereofextending rearwardly from said open front along the major portions ofthe cabinet side walls, said members being of identical construction andapplicable in reversed relationto the opposite sides of the cabinet,each member having a lateral iiange along its front vertical edge inparallelism with an inturned portion of the side walls behind therearwardly extending flange of the latter, said lateral iiange servingto maintain the forward portion of its respective member spaced from theside wall of the cabinet, an outwardly offset flange along its rearvertical edge secured to the inner surface of the cabinet side wall,said lateral flanges projecting above and below the upper and loweredges of the member and into bracing contact at the upper and lower endsthereof with the top and bottom walls of the cabinet, a plurality ofinwardly struck iianges formed on each member and extending inparallelism horizontally including upper and lower anges substantiallyat the level of the rearwardly extending iiange portions of the top andbottom walls respectively, and a medial ange between said top and bottomflanges, said top, bottom and medial flanges providing drawer guides andsupports for the cabinet.

2. A drawer cabinet including top, bottom and side walls,vand having anopen front, said cabinet being formed of sheet material and having theforward edges of the top, bottom and side walls turned inwardly andrearwardly to prove a substantially continuous rearwardly extending angespaced from said top, bottom and side walls, and extending around theopen front of the cabinet, and -a pair of combined top and side wallbraces and drawer guide members comprising bracing walls within thecabinet at opposite sides thereof extending rearwardly from said openfront along the major portions of the cabinet side walls. said membersbeing applicable in reversed relation to the opposite sides of thecabinet, `each member having a lateral iiange along its front verticaledge, the upper and lower ends oi' said lateral flange extending intobracing contact with the top and bottom walls of the cabinet, saidlateral flange serving to maintain the forward portion of its respectivemember spaced from the side wall of the cabinet. an outwardly offsetflange along the rear vertical edge of the drawer guide member securedto the inner surface of the cabinet side wall, a plurality of angesproviding drawer guides and supports extending inwardly andsubstantially horizontally from each of said members, saidA flangesincluding upper and lower flanges substantially at the level of saidrearwardly extending ange portion of the top and bottom wallsrespectively, and at least one medial ange between said top and bottomflanges.

3. A drawer cabinet including top, bottom and sidewalls and having anopen front, said cabinet being formed of sheet material and having theforward edges of the top, bottom and side walls turned inwardly andrearwardly to provide a substantially continuous rearwardly extendingflange spaced from said top, bottom and side walls and extending aroundthe open front of the cabinet, and a pair of combined top and side wallbraces and drawer guide members consisting of bracing walls within thecabinet at opposite sides thereof extending rearwardly from said openfront along the major portions of the cabinet side walls, said membersbeing applicable in reversed relation to the opposite sides of thecabinet, each member having a lateral ange along its front vertical edgein parallelism with an inturned portion of the side walls behind therearwardly extending flange of the latter, said lateral iiange servingto maintain the forward portion of its respective member spaced from theside wall of the cabinet, an outwardly offset flange along its rearvertical edge secured to the inner surface of the cabinet side wall,said lateral flanges and outwardly offset iianges each projecting aboveand below the upper and lower edges ofthe member and into bracingcontact at the upper and lower ends thereof with the top and bottomwalls of the cabinet, a plural ity of inwardly struck flanges formed oneach member and extending in parallelism horizontally including upperand lower flanges substantially at the level ofthe rearwardly extendingflange portions of the top and bottom walls respectively, and a medialflange between said top and bottom iianges, said top, bottom and medialflanges providing drawer guides and supports for the cabinet.

, SEELY F. PRATI.

HARVEY H. YAWMAN.

CERTIFICATE oF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,226,670. December 51,- 191m.

sEELY F. PRATT, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent :requiring correction as follows: Page 5,first column, line 55,4 claim 2, for the word "prove" read provide; andthat4 the said Letters Patent should be read with this correctiontherein that the same may conform to the record of the case in thePatent Office.

signed and sealed tms 28th day of January, A. D. 19in.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

